University Programmatic Speech on Europe: Polish Prime Minister to Visit Ruperto Carola

Press Release No. 28/2023
15 March 2023

Mateusz Morawiecki will speak about the future of Europe in view of current challenges

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, is to visit Heidelberg University to make a programmatic speech on Europe. At Ruperto Carola, he will talk about Europe at a historic turning point and ask whether European values will endure in the face of the Russian invasion. The event will take place in connection with the European University Alliance 4EU+, of which the universities of Warsaw and Heidelberg are founding members. The lecture, in English, will be addressed to members of the university and invited guests on 20 March 2023 in the Great Hall of the Old University. Those expected to be present include students and researchers from Heidelberg University, representatives of European, German federal and state political bodies, various Polish-German special interest groups, and the business community.

Portrait Mateusz Morawiecki

With his speech on the topic “Europe stands itself at a historic turning point. Will European values endure in the face of the Russian invasion?” the Polish Prime Minister takes his place in the tradition of significant addresses on the future of Europe, given in the past by French President Emmanuel Macron in September 2017 at Sorbonne Université in Paris and Germany’s Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August 2022 at Charles University in Prague. The Sorbonne and Prague are, like Heidelberg and Warsaw, founding members of the 4EU+ European University Alliance, to which the universities of Copenhagen, Geneva and Milan likewise belong. “4EU+ is one of the leading European University Alliances, founded with the aim of promoting a better understanding of European culture and history in the national educational systems and ensuring that Europe continues to be an important reference in the areas of education, research and knowledge, as well as technology transfer,” underlines Prof. Dr Bernhard Eitel, Rector of Heidelberg University.

Note for newsrooms

The event with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, held for members of the university and for invited guests, will take place on 20 March 2023 at 11.00 am in the Great Hall of the Old University, Grabengasse 1. To be able to attend, media representatives are required to submit their binding registration by 17 March 2023 at the latest. Admission of media will take place in the foyer of the Old University. Please bring your identity card and press ID with you. Media representatives, including photographers, technical and camera teams, must take their seats in the Great Hall by 10.50 am at the latest. The Great Hall of the Old University is the only place where filming or taking photos is possible. To register for the event, please send an email with your name, media outlet / newsdesk and your role to presse@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de.